An
example of urban renewal gone horribly right. San
Antonio was saddled with a system of stagnant, stinking
waterways meandering through the city. They were the
result of a flood control project further upstream
meant to protect the city from the same waterways.
Instead of paving them over, like other municipalities
have done (Cincinnati),
it seized the opportunity to create a dining and entertainment
mecca. Today thousands of people flock from hundreds
of miles away to sample the party atmosphere of the
Riverwalk. Essentially it's a series of canals lined
with pedestrian walkways that are, themselves, lined
with restaurants, clubs, and shops. The whole thing
is unified by lush landscaping and a river taxi service
that ferries people from one bar to the next. As technology
and architecture has advanced through the years, the
Riverwalk has been expanded, and today not only runs
its original course, but is fed by fountains, aqueducts,
and other waterways that sometimes flow through the
lobbies of adjacent hotels.
